Overview

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The jungle trail to Machu Picchu!

Jungle trail to Machu PicchuPeru

We pioneered the Jungle Trail to Machu Picchu, and it’s one of our signature trips. With culture and history in the Sacred Valley and awesome outdoor adventures in the high jungle, all on the way to Machu Picchu, the Jungle Trail is the greatest four-day adventure you can have in Peru.

Start:

Cusco, Peru

End:

Cusco, Peru

Maximum group size:

12 Guests

Duration:

3 4 days

Price:

US$ 1,275

Includes:

oCulture & Food pFamily zOutdoors BBike

The river that rushes past the Cocalmayo hot springs

The river that rushes past the Cocalmayo hot springs

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

©Doug Logan 2014, douglogancreative.com

Our Jungle Trail includes Ollantaytambo

Our Jungle Trail includes Ollantaytambo

5
4
I had a wonderful time in Peru with Aspiring Adventures. We traveled from high in the Andes to close to sea level in the Amazon rainforest. The cultural experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My eyes were opened to a people and culture I never knew existed. I recommend this trip to anyone who really wants to experience an adventure.

– Wally J.

The trip in detail

Today starts with Chinchero, best known for its outdoor weaving studios and extensive Inca terracing with incredible views. Next we’ll explore Moray – a mysterious complex of massive amphitheatres of incredible engineering precision and stern, magnificent beauty.

Then an easy stroll (or ride in the vehicle if you prefer), through rolling farmland and views of the high Andes, brings us to Salineras – a surreal and beautiful patchwork of pools and paths that still produces salt using Inca technology.

We’ll spend the night in Ollantaytambo, a charming village of cobbled streets and sleepy plazas watched over by spectacular mountain-side fortresses.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included

Accommodation: Cosy, family-run hotel in Ollantaytambo

Today we cross one of the world’s more drastic topographical divides: from the arid, Pacific side of the Andes to its lush western slope and the uppermost reaches of the Amazon Basin. The differences become more and more obvious as we descend from the icy high pass of Abra Malaga (4,350m/14,000 feet), all the way down to the steamy heat of the ceja de selva (the “eyebrow of the jungle” that gives this route to Machu Picchu its name).

Our destination, sleepy Santa Teresa (1,550m/5,085 feet), is home to one of our favourite places in Peru, the Baños Termales de Cocalmayo, natural mountain hot springs beside a raging river. It’s the perfect place to soak away the road dust of today’s journey from one side of the Andes to the other.

If you’re into biking, you might want to ride some, or all, of the day’s long descent to the high jungle – it’s an incredibly fun, freewheeling, downhill and is suitable for anyone who can ride a bike. We provide bikes so you can ride as much or as little as you like.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Rustic eco-lodge near Santa Teresa

Coffee, grown at cottage-industry level and exported to the world through growers’ co-operatives, is the backbone of this area’s economy. This morning a local coffee producer will show us around their plantation, and the operation where they harvest and mill coffee.

In the afternoon we’ll take a short (7km/5 mile) train ride, or hike the gentle jungle trail beside the tracks if you prefer, to Aguas Calientes. There’s time this afternoon to explore the market and admire the lush rainforest scenery all around and above us – the isolated little town has one of the most beautiful settings you’ll see in Peru.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes

A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

We’ll be up at sunrise so there’s time for your guide to show you around Machu Picchu’s main citadel, as well as our favourite hidden nooks and crannies, before the crowds arrive. Then there’s time for your own exploration of the massive, still-mysterious site, before we catch the train back to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included

How much does this trip cost?

US $

1,275

pp.


in a group of four to 12 people


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WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • All accommodation (based on twin-share. Single supplement available for US$100)
  • All activities specified in itinerary
  • Dedicated Aspiring Adventures Guide
  • All ground transport (private vehicle and train)
  • Entrance to all attractions specified
  • Entrance to Machu Picchu (including extra permit to climb Huayna Picchu - if available at time of booking)
  • Meals as specified (three breakfasts, four lunches, three dinners)
  • Drinking water with meals
  • Bike, helmet and gloves for biking activity

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

  • Tips for your guide(s) and driver

Accommodations

Accommodations on our Peru itineraries are our favourites in each town. In Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, and Santa Teresa we stay in quirky, interesting, family-run lodgings.


Katy, Aspiring Adventures co-founder, says

I was one of the pioneers who started opening this route to tourists, more than a decade ago. Even if it was a road to nowhere, it'd still be one of the best multi-activity tours I've encountered. With Machu Picchu at the end of it, it's unbelievable!

All our trips are custom trips! Tell us what you're looking for and we'll make it happen!

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